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Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Randy Ring’s Boston Whaler

Randy Ring and his Boston Whaler

Since first arriving in Quidi Vidi I have been fascinated by
the different kinds of water craft that can be found resting on the village’s
slip, tied to it’s stages, and sitting on its banks. Of these, one old boat - painted
with the colours of the Republic of Newfoundland and located in the
tall grass beside two buildings along Barrows Road – especially peaked my
curiously.The vessel is fairly
large and it is unlike any other that I have seen in the area. I had a sneaking
suspicion that it may be a relic of an enterprise now long gone: the whaling
industry. With this in mind I headed down for a closer look. Upon my arrival, I
was fortunate enough to meet the vessel’s owner, Randy Ring, and I was even
luckier in that Randy was friendly and willing to chat. I quickly learned that
the boat was in fact a Boston Whaler and that it was last used by Randy and his
kin while training for the famous Quidi Vidi Lake Regatta. Since such vessels
are bigger and heavier than competition rowboats, Randy told me that the
whaling boat could be used to gain extra physical strength while training. Obviously
this method paid off: in 1981 they broke the race’s speed record, which had
previously stood for around 80 years. During that race Randy’s father was the
skipper and he himself was the lead stroke. Randy also told me that the
buildings located beside the old Boston Whaler once served as the family’s
rowing clubhouse.

Randy Ring's property in Quidi Vidi

Above the door of the larger of these two structures is a
pair of crossed ores with a sign that read “Skipper Ring 09: 12: 04”, made by a
friend to commemorate the victory. Bellow the ores hung a Hurley stick, and
Randy told me that his family was so into Hurley that people used to say they
rowed their boats over from Ireland with such sticks. The Quidi Vidi Lake Regatta is an important
part of the areas past and it is a tradition that still exists. While Randy no
longer participates in the sport he has an important place in its history and I
look forward to hearing more about it over the next few weeks.

The entry way to Randy Ring's old rowing clubhouse. Note the crossed ores and Hurley stick.